A rare and frightening GeForce RTX 5090 failure was caught on camera after an MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Trio reportedly burst into flames the instant a PC was powered on. While graphics card issues like melted 16-pin power connectors have been widely discussed and often handled through warranty replacement when installation guidelines are followed, this incident appears far more severe than a typical connector meltdown.
According to the post details, the user had just installed a new 1300W power supply and was turning on the system with the MSI GeForce RTX 5090 installed for the first time. As a personal precaution, he recorded the first boot in case anything went wrong. In the video, the moment the system is switched on, the graphics card begins producing visible open flames from multiple areas, not just a single point near the power connector. The user quickly shuts the system down, but the damage is already done.
The good news is that while the GPU seems to have failed completely, the rest of the PC is reportedly still functioning afterward. There are burn marks on some components, but the system remains operational, and the user has since moved to a GeForce RTX 5060.
What makes this event especially unusual is the appearance of flames in multiple locations. A suggested explanation is that a short circuit may have involved the VRM circuitry related to the VRAM power delivery, which could help explain why the fire didn’t look like a typical “connector-only” failure.
Unfortunately for the owner, there’s another major complication: the GeForce RTX 5090 is reportedly officially banned in China, and warranty service is generally limited to specific approved variants such as the GeForce RTX 5090 D or RTX 5090 D V2. That means the user may not be able to file an RMA for the damaged card.
Losing a flagship GPU is painful under any circumstance, but it’s even worse given current pricing. The GeForce RTX 5090 has been selling at extremely high prices in many markets, often around $4000 or more. In this case, the user was at least spared an even bigger financial hit because the rest of the rig survived and continues to run.
